Everyone survives in the ocean, I pick up a goddess for vacation Chapter 013

The thruster’s construction wasn’t complex: one throttle lever controlled the speed, and another joystick manipulated the propeller’s jet direction.

However, there was always a noticeable lag when turning, as if dragging a heavy burden behind.

It took Lin Hao a while to get used to this turning method, which required anticipating movements in advance.

He slowed down, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over other survivors on the sea.

During this frantic journey, he had seen at least dozens of female survivors, but not a single one scored over 90 points.

He withdrew his gaze with a hint of disappointment, but then his eyes unexpectedly landed on a… shapely backside, right in front of him.

This was quite awkward.

If he looked… how was he different from a beast?

If he didn’t look, wouldn’t he be worse than a beast?

Caught between these two difficult choices, he, by some strange impulse, chose to accelerate.

“Whoosh—!” The engine suddenly roared!

“Ah!” Xia Yingluo, completely unprepared, was thrown forward by the sudden inertia, losing her balance and falling squarely into Lin Hao’s arms!

Xia Yingluo sprang up as if electrocuted, her cheeks instantly turning crimson. She glared at him, both shy and annoyed: “Lin Hao! You, you must have done that on purpose!”

Perhaps it was unintentional at first, but for the boat, which was moving fine, to suddenly accelerate—what else could it be but deliberate?

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist for a moment…” Lin Hao didn’t deny it, simply averting his gaze.

“You…!” Xia Yingluo had not expected him to admit it so directly. This straightforward response completely flustered her, and all the accusations she had prepared got stuck in her throat.

She stomped her foot hard, then turned and rushed to the bow of the boat as if fleeing, her back to him, her shoulders slightly rising and falling.

Lin Hao briefly savored the soft touch, then quickly returned to business, releasing the throttle to slow the boat.

Not far ahead on the sea, two rafts floated quietly side by side, and two figures were clearly visible.

One of them, with elegant black hair coiled up, revealing a slender swan-like neck, was Teacher Tian Youyou.

She had actually just graduated with her master’s degree not long ago, only around twenty-five years old, in the prime of her youth.

However, Lin Hao’s gaze lingered on her for only a moment, then, as if pulled by an invisible hook, it fixed firmly on the other girl!

Sunlight spilled over the girl, outlining a nearly perfect profile.

Her face was so exquisite it seemed unreal, her skin radiating a sacred glow in the light.

What made Lin Hao’s heart pound even faster was a perfectly clear golden number [ 97] directly above her head!

“Teacher Tian!” Lin Hao suppressed the excitement in his heart, trying to make his voice sound calmer, “…and this student? Are you two alright?”

A hint of surprise flashed in Tian Youyou’s eyes, followed by a gentle smile: “Lin Hao, Xia Yingluo, your boat is so big…”

The 97-point girl beside her also looked up, her gaze calmly falling on Lin Hao.

Her eyes were clear, yet seemed to possess a certain penetrating power, causing Lin Hao’s heart to inexplicably tremble.

At the same time, Xia Yingluo at the bow also turned around.

The blush on her face hadn’t completely faded, and her expression held a hint of awkwardness.

When her gaze swept over the exquisite girl on the raft, her pupils contracted slightly. Then she quickly glanced at Lin Hao, saw the undisguised expression on his face, and let out a soft snort with her small nose.

“Let me introduce you, this is Chu Xi,” Tian Youyou turned sideways, her voice filled with gratitude, “She helped me out just now… we encountered some troublemakers.”

“Oh?” Xia Yingluo’s gaze sharpened as it landed on Chu Xi. She subtly shifted her feet, unnoticeably blocking Lin Hao’s front. “From our school? How come I’ve never seen you?” Her tone carried undisguised scrutiny.

“She’s from the school next door,” Tian Youyou quickly added.

Lin Hao’s eyes lit up. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he said, “Perfect! How about we team up? There’s strength in numbers, and we can look out for each other!”

“This…” Tian Youyou looked troubled, instinctively turning her head to look at Chu Xi, wanting to consult her opinion.

Chu Xi remained silent, her gaze, like invisible threads, slowly sweeping across Lin Hao, Xia Yingluo, and Tian Youyou’s faces, carrying an inscrutable calm that made it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

“We can be temporary teammates first too!” Lin Hao, seeing the awkward silence, quickly proposed a compromise to break the deadlock.

“I… I have no objection, but Chu Xi helped me…” Tian Youyou looked at Chu Xi again, her heart full of conflict.

“Hmph!” Xia Yingluo suddenly let out a cold snort, her chin held high, “If you don’t want to, just say so. Who are you putting on that sour face for!”

Chu Xi frowned slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes.

She didn’t even glance at Xia Yingluo, simply bent down to pick up the crude small wooden paddle placed by the raft’s edge, and lightly brushed the water with her wrist.

“Splash—” Water gently splattered, and with her effortless push, the small raft silently drifted backward, instantly creating a small distance from Tian Youyou’s raft.

The movement was clean and decisive, carrying a silent sense of detachment.

“Chu Xi…” Tian Youyou instinctively reached out, her fingertips grasping at the air in vain. Looking at Chu Xi’s calm yet distant back, the words of retention ultimately got stuck in her throat, turning into a low sigh.

“This person…” Xia Yingluo watched Chu Xi paddle away without a second thought, the nameless fire in her heart burning even stronger. She couldn’t help but raise her voice, “Absolutely inexplicable! Can’t even say a word?! Is there no manners?!”

“Yingluo!” Tian Youyou abruptly cut her off, her voice unusually urgent and tinged with distress, “Stop talking! Chu Xi, she… she’s not refusing to answer you… she…”

Tian Youyou took a deep breath, her voice lowering, “She… she’s mute.”

“…Wh-what?”

The indignation on Xia Yingluo’s face instantly froze, then was replaced by immense shock and disbelief. She stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide.

She stared blankly at Tian Youyou, then abruptly turned to the slender back that had already paddled several meters away.

Lin Hao was also stunned. 97 points? An existence even more dazzling than Xia Yingluo, such a nearly perfect girl… was actually… mute?

The huge contrast left him momentarily unable to react, he just stared in astonishment at Chu Xi’s back.

A deathly silence enveloped the sea, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the boat.

A few seconds later, Xia Yingluo suddenly snapped back to reality as if scalded.

A strong emotion, a mix of shame and panic, overwhelmed her.

What had she just said? Such harsh words to someone who couldn’t speak to defend herself?!

“I… I…” Her voice trembled, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Her previous arrogance vanished without a trace, leaving only helpless panic. “I, I didn’t know! I… we’ll catch up! Quick, Lin Hao! Drive the boat over!”

She abruptly grabbed Lin Hao’s arm, shaking it hard, her words tumbling out as if she were about to cry, “I’ll apologize! I, I really didn’t mean it! I didn’t know!”

Her voice grew softer and softer, finally almost becoming a tearful mumble. The immense embarrassment made her wish she could jump into the sea and disappear.

She could only cling tightly to Lin Hao’s arm, as if it were her only lifeline, her eyes anxious and pleading as she gazed at Chu Xi’s increasingly distant back…